After knocking, Old Chen opened the door a moment later. Beside him stood Yang Junlian, the matriarch of the Chen family.

"What a beautiful little girl, come in quickly." Yang Junlian took Xia Xinyu's hand and led her into the room.

"Hello, Auntie." Xia Xinyu nodded shyly, then said to Chen Jianye, "Hello, Uncle."

"Hello," Chen Jianye said with a smile.

"Honestly, to think we have guests and still let you cook for us, that's just not right." After Yang Junlian seated Xia Xinyu, she said apologetically, "Next time you come, don't do anything. I'll cook for you."

"I didn't make the meal alone today. Chen Yuan helped too."

"What help could he be? Could his mediocre skills produce this entire table of dishes?" Yang Junlian joked.

Xia Xinyu was pleased by the praise, but didn't forget to acknowledge Chen Yuan's contribution, insisting, "He helped with washing the vegetables and cutting the meat. He cut the potato slices."

"..." Chen Yuan.

Is the Divine Separator a standard Chen family tool for everyone?

"Everyone, start eating. Try Xinyu's cooking."

At Yang Junlian's invitation, the four of them sat on stools and chairs around the small table to eat.

During the meal, Chen Yuan took the initiative to pour drinks for everyone.

Old Chen wanted to buy some wine, but Yang Junlian directly stopped him, ostensibly saying that drinking was bad for his health, but her eyes were reminding him: your son's important girl is here, don't let your words be slurred by alcohol.

"Speaking of which, how is Xinyu so pretty? She's truly the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Looking at Xia Xinyu, Yang Junlian didn't know how else to praise her; she could only add an adverb of degree before "beautiful."

"Auntie is pretty too, really has a great aura," Xia Xinyu said with a sweet smile.

Then, she made Yang Junlian beam with joy, praising Xinyu repeatedly for being sensible and articulate.

The two Chen family members beside them simply held their bowls and focused on eating.

Delicious, delicious, Xinyu's cooking is even better than your mother's.

Indeed, and she even made dishes that I love to eat.

Serious eating is a gene flowing in the Chen family's blood.

The main thing was that Yang Junlian was too fond of creating awkward situations, so they couldn't interject at all.

Until Yang Junlian said, "Chen Yuan's grades have dropped quite a bit since coming to Xia Hai. Before, I was even preparing to transfer him back to our hometown to study at First High. Then, he suddenly improved so much. Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed… I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

"No, no, Auntie, your worries are valid." Xia Xinyu glanced at Chen Yuan, then said seriously, "His talent is actually very good. He might have been a little lost in his first year of high school. When I met him, he had already started studying hard. I think… he did want to put in more effort, but the pace in the first year was too fast, and he couldn't keep up."

A very clever statement.

She said that Chen Yuan had started studying hard before he knew her, rather than him only becoming motivated because of her.

She diluted some of her own credit.

Truly an intelligent and perceptive girl.

Actually, when she saw her on the video call, Yang Junlian liked her very much. But she thought that with Chen Yuan's grades, even if he could be lovingly affectionate with this girl who scored over 600 points now, the gap would be too big after graduation, and it would be difficult to maintain.

But now it seems that it's not like that.

She hasn't become a Chen family daughter-in-law yet, but she already knows how to behave.

"Also," Xia Xinyu felt that the math competition was also a good angle to praise Chen Yuan, so she mentioned, "Chen Yuan is also participating in a math competition. His preliminary score was very high, and the main competition is this Saturday. If he wins an award, he'll get extra points on the *gaokao* (national college entrance examination)."

Hearing about the *gaokao* bonus points, Yang Junlian immediately became serious. She looked at Chen Yuan and said very seriously, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"If things haven't succeeded, speaking of them will surely lead to leaks," Chen Yuan said calmly.

"Speak properly," Yang Junlian said.

"Let's talk about it after I get the points. Right now, I've only passed the preliminary round."

"You can really hold back," Yang Junlian said, somewhat dissatisfied, but then felt that Chen Yuan's concerns made sense, since she was more impatient. So, she said to Xinyu, "Then, I'll have to trouble you to teach him these next few days."

"He's very good at math. I might not be as good as him."

"You're too modest. You scored over 640 at Fourth High. Everyone in Hai Dong knows the name of Fourth High."

Over 640?

Xia Xinyu was stunned, not knowing when she had scored so high.

But Chen Yuan gave her a piece of meat and hinted with his eyes, so she remembered that it might have been the last phone call.

So, she lowered her head and shamelessly admitted, "Then, then I'll try my best to supervise him."

"That's great," Yang Junlian said admiringly, "It's so good that you two can improve together. I remember the child next door, who went from a 211 (top-tier university) to a second-tier university because of early love. His mother was so angry. Unlike Xinyu, who not only has good grades but also brings our son along to study."

Xia Xinyu modestly lowered her eyes, not knowing what to say.

Because no matter what she said, it would be like admitting that the two were in a relationship.

Honestly, she actually wanted Chen Yuan's mother to think that their relationship was still very pure.

After all, they hadn't even done anything like kissing, so being assumed to be together like this felt a little unfair.

"Mom, eat this."

Chen Yuan put a chicken leg in Yang Junlian's bowl, also reminding her not to talk about this anymore.

It wasn't yet the Xin-Yuan Couple, nor the Xin-Yuan Lovers, at most just a 'Xin-Yuan Study Group.'

After the meal was finished, Xia Xinyu was about to wash the dishes when Yang Junlian stopped her. Then, this mother efficiently rolled up her sleeves, put on an apron, and cleaned the table, washed the dishes and pots.

However, Xia Xinyu still forcibly squeezed in to help, not idle at all.

Then, Chen Yuan and Chen Jianye sat face-to-face, at a loss.

So, at Chen Jianye's suggestion, they went downstairs for a while.

Together, they stood in front of the tree that had been loved by old men, with a cushion tied around it.

"Did you tell her about the money I gave you?"

"No, Xia Xinyu did."

"Did you know at that time?"

"I really didn't know."

"Let me see your phone."

"Why?"

"I want to see if you deleted that WeChat message after reading it."

"..."

After a brief silence, Chen Yuan sighed, saying sadly, "You have no reason not to trust me. If I planned to betray you, the matter of your private money would be enough to give you trouble. It's purely that Xia Xinyu and I didn't coordinate our stories well, so it slipped out."

"..."

Since his son said so, Chen Jianye could only choose to believe him. Then, he suddenly mentioned, "Your mother told me to prepare a red envelope for Xinyu, ten thousand yuan. I'll give it to her when I leave tomorrow."

"Whoa, is it from your gold coins?"

Chen Yuan didn't expect this old man to be so rich.

"What are you thinking? It's Chen family money, a public savings fund." Chen Jianye looked at Chen Yuan and asked, "What do you think?"

"What do I think? About the red envelope?" Chen Yuan thought for a moment, then said calmly, "It's good, let Xia Xinyu keep it as a scholarship fund. Her parents are gone, and her family has a hard time."

"Have you met the relatives over there? When you went to Jingnan before."

"I met my aunt and uncle. They all approve of me. I've cleared the important relatives hurdle," Chen Yuan nodded.

"Then what else hasn't been cleared?" Chen Jianye asked, reading between the lines.

Looking at this southeastern man who probably had Sichuan and Chongqing blood, Chen Yuan asked seriously, "When did you kiss my mom?"

At this point, the air suddenly became quiet.

After a long while, Chen Jianye said, "She kissed me."

Then, Chen Yuan turned around and left.

"Why did you leave?"

"There's no point in talking to someone who's stubborn."

"Wait, wait." Calling Chen Yuan to a halt, Chen Jianye looked embarrassed. After struggling for a long time, he finally said with difficulty, "After attending her uncle's funeral, I was dragged along to drink with several of her family elders and was only released after several days. Later, when I returned to the city with Junlian, I sent her to her dormitory. At that time, she asked me what our relationship was. After a long silence, I said, Junlian, can I... kiss you?"

Hearing this, Chen Yuan turned around to leave again.

"No, what's wrong now?"

"Too corny. I don't want to be like that, even if you beat me to death."

…………

"Xinyu, look, this is Chen Yuan when he was little."

"Wow, so cute." Looking at the photo of ten-year-old Chen Yuan on Yang Junlian's phone, Xia Xinyu smiled like an auntie, because it was a form she had never seen before.

"Right? He used to smile at that time, smiled very cheerfully. But I don't know why, the older he gets, the colder he becomes," Yang Junlian said with a sigh, "He's clearly not an idol, but he has the burdens of one."

"When I first met him, it was like that too. At the time, I thought, is this person very serious, very difficult to get along with?" Xia Xinyu said with a smile, "Later, I found out that he's completely different from what he looks like."

"Right, right." Yang Junlian sat on the bed, pulled Xia Xinyu to her side, and then asked curiously, "So, how did you two meet?"

"This..."

Xia Xinyu was a little embarrassed, hesitated for a while, then said, "During that time, my parents had just passed away, and my whole state was very poor. I didn't like to eat either. Then one day, I had hypoglycemia and fainted in front of the room. Chen Yuan woke me up and fed me a piece of candy. After waking up, I wanted to leave, but he suddenly stopped me and said that there was food at home, including Boston lobster..."

Except for the part about suicide being changed, the rest was basically true.

And when she heard that her son had given Xia Xinyu fireflies as stars, Yang Junlian laughed, saying, "I didn't expect my son to be quite romantic. Unlike his father, I had to remind him to confess to me back then."

"I see... Uncle looks like a very honest person too, haha."

"So, who confessed to whom?" Yang Junlian asked curiously.

Xia Xinyu was stunned.

She didn't know what to say, because he hadn't confessed yet.

However, in order not to let Chen Yuan become a liar,

She could only round out the previous lie, saying shyly, "I, I pursued him."

"Ah? You pursued him?"

Yang Junlian really didn't expect her son to be so capable, so she asked in confusion, "You're so pretty, there must be many boys pursuing you. And Chen Yuan didn't actively pursue you, so what were you thinking?"

"Because he's... different."

"Oh, oh."

The level of embarrassment gradually increased, and Yang Junlian knew it was time to stop. So, looking at the shell necklace on her wrist, she asked, "Did he give you this?"

Xia Xinyu showed her wrist and said, "Yes, he gave it to me on my birthday."

"It really suits your hand, so white and delicate."

After feeling around in her pocket, Yang Junlian held Xia Xinyu's wrist, looked at the sterling silver necklace, and then took the opportunity to slip a gold bracelet onto her wrist.

"Eh?" After reacting, Xia Xinyu quickly got up and said, "No, this is too precious, I can't accept it. Really, I can't accept it."

"Xinyu, this is a little gift from Auntie."

Yang Junlian gently pushed her hand back, looked at Xia Xinyu's uneasy face, and said, "Don't feel embarrassed, and don't feel any pressure. I'm not using this to lock you up. If you can walk to the end with him, Auntie will be very happy. If the two of you have any disagreements, or he treats you badly, and you want to break up, please accept this little gift... okay?"

"No, that's not what I'm worried about."

Xia Xinyu shook her head and said seriously, "I have a lot of confidence in Chen Yuan. Although it's a bit narcissistic to say so, he also likes me very much... We're both very young now, only in our second year of high school, so we're both very restrained. To be honest, we haven't even..."

"This kid is so reserved?" Yang Junlian asked in surprise.

"He's not that reserved..."

"Oh, so you pursued him, and you were the one who said that studying should be prioritized?"

To this, Xia Xinyu nodded gently.

Then, Yang Junlian seemed to have discovered a treasure, and she immediately looked at this daughter in a new light.

Not easily liking people, but once she likes someone, it's a love that exceeds 'like.'

It can be seen that at this stage, Xia Xinyu's liking for Chen Yuan is slightly more than Chen Yuan's liking for Xia Xinyu.

And the reason is not that Chen Yuan is unfaithful or anything like that.

It's just that Xia Xinyu only has Chen Yuan.

Therefore, she hopes that the love she receives from Chen Yuan will be long-lasting and eternal.

Therefore, she hopes more than anyone, including herself, that Chen Yuan can catch up with her.

"Then take it as Auntie wanting to lock you up."

Yang Junlian smiled and said straightforwardly, "My kid is lucky to meet Xinyu. As a mother, I hope such a good girl can let my kid succeed. Accept it."

Chen Yuan's mother praised Xia Xinyu so much that she felt embarrassed.

She kept thinking, am I really as good as Chen Yuan says?

And now that Chen Yuan's mother also said so, she seemed to have gained some confidence.

I don't seem to be as bad as I thought.

Maybe I'm really particularly pretty, particularly smart, and particularly good at cooking?

Maybe I'm not a girl who thinks she's ordinary?

Maybe I'm really so good that people feel a sense of crisis?

"Thank you, Auntie." Xia Xinyu smiled and looked at Yang Junlian, promising, "We'll improve together and work hard."

"Then you two study. I'll go stroll in the park with his dad."

Yang Junlian took the initiative to leave the room.

At this time, she happened to run into Chen Yuan.

"Mom, where are you going?"

"I'm going to stroll in the park with your dad, and then open a hotel nearby," Yang Junlian said.

"Okay, then send me a message when you've checked in."

Just like that, after saying goodbye to Madam Yang, Chen Yuan walked into the room and saw Xia Xinyu sitting on the bed looking at him, her mouth pouting.

"Let me think."

Chen Yuan first raised his hand, interrupted the spellcasting, and then deduced, "Are you saying that I should be with you, not let you be alone with my mom?"

"It's not that Mom is bad, it's just..." Xia Xinyu looked at Chen Yuan and complained, "With you around, I'm a little more brave."

"Understood." Chen Yuan nodded and said, "That's why I came up so quickly."

"That's true." Xia Xinyu realized that he hadn't been gone for long, so she asked curiously, "What did you and Dad talk about?"

"Um, about the topic of private money..."

Chen Yuan certainly couldn't say that he was researching how to kiss her, right?

"Then, then didn't I expose your dad?" Xia Xinyu realized, feeling guilty.

"It's okay, it would have been revealed sooner or later, it just accelerated the collapse of his bubble economy."

Chen Yuan waved his hand, not caring, and then asked, "So, what did you talk about with her?"

"I saw your childhood photos, so cute, I want to pinch your face," Xia Xinyu confessed truthfully.

"It's okay, I've also seen you as a child."

In that dream.

"No wonder I felt that the placement of the photos was wrong. You secretly looked at my photos, didn't you?"

"No, I was looking at the graduation photos of Sixth Grade, Class Two of Xiqing Elementary School, and Third Grade, Class One of Xiqing Middle School."

"I feel like you've done a background check on me." Although Xia Xinyu complained like that, she didn't mind too much.

She had been like this since she was a child, not much has changed.

Unlike Chen Yuan, who really had a transformation in his later youth.

"Then will you study in my room for a while?" Chen Yuan suggested, "They're gone anyway."

"We still need to avoid suspicion these next two days. I'm going back to my room."

Xia Xinyu stood up from the bed and reached out when she walked in front of Chen Yuan, "Give me the hair tie."

She remembered that the last time Chen Yuan took her hair tie was in a dream, so this should be the first time her hair tie was stolen.

But the fact that this boy is a long hair lover cannot be changed.

Then her hair can't be cut casually...

"Okay, then give me a message if anything happens."

When Chen Yuan sent Xia Xinyu to the door, Xia Xinyu suddenly grabbed his hand. He was stunned, and then he found that there was a gold bracelet in his palm: "No, what's this?"

"Mom gave it to me," Xia Xinyu said.

"Then you keep it, it's already yours." Chen Yuan quickly tried to put it on her hand.

Then Xia Xinyu took a step back, showed off her seashell silver necklace, and said with a smile, "I only need this, that's enough."

"Silly Xinyu, gold is more valuable." Chen Yuan continued to try to give it to her.

"Silly Chen Yuan, feelings are priceless."

Xia Xinyu insisted on not taking it and retorted with the same sentence.

"If you don't take it, how will I explain it to my mom..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Xinyu suddenly cupped Chen Yuan's hands into a fist, so that the gold bracelet wrapped his palm, and then looked up at him and said, "After talking today, I still don't want you to slack off, I still hope you work harder and clarify a future. So, I wanted to give you some pressure."

"What pressure?"

"Hehe."

Xia Xinyu pushed Chen Yuan into the door and closed the door, then leaned against the door, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said with a light smile, "You keep it, save it for the betrothal gifts."

Recommending a friend's book:

(End of this chapter)